ORLANDO, Fla. — SunRail’s governing board Thursday pledged to work together across county lines to complete a long-planned extension to DeLand, though a last-minute push for a multimillion-dollar infusion of federal cash remains a major obstacle.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer on Thursday questioned Volusia County’s commitment to complete the DeBary-to-DeLand segment, saying recent letters from Volusia Chairman Ed Kelley raised concerns.

“Do you guys want to go forward with this?” Dyer asked Kelley. 

“We have committed to our contract,” Kelley responded.

Kelley, Dyer and other elected officials in Central Florida manage SunRail as the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission.

Dyer noted that previous Volusia representatives on the commission criticized fellow members not moving fast enough to complete the northern extension.

“We are being extremely supportive as we can possibly be in moving forward on completing the original 60 miles,’’ Dyer said.

The original plan for SunRail called for a 60-mile corridor between Poinciana and DeBary. The commuter rail system’s first phase opened more than five years ago, connecting DeBary to south Orange County. 

The southern extension to Poinciana opened in July 2018.

The DeBary-to-DeLand segment looked unlikely in recent years until local transportation officials came up with a possible option: tapping unspent federal funds earmarked for highway projects in other states. 

After the meeting, Kelley said Volusia is committed to the northern extension, but he still has concerns.

“I’m not saying I agree 100 percent,” Kelley said. “I said let’s look at the options.”

Nicola Liquori, SunRail’s chief executive officer, told governing board members Thursday that her agency should know if they can get the federal funds by the end of August.

As much as $80 million, possibly more, in federal funds is needed, along with Volusia’s $19 million, to build a second track from DeBary to DeLand and a bridge in Orange City to complete the 12-mile extension.

Officials are working under a tight deadline to complete the capital program for SunRail, now managed by the Florida Department of Transportation.

FDOT is scheduled to hand the system over to Central Florida governments on May 1, 2021. That’s when local governments will be responsible for all operation and maintenance costs for SunRail.